Twofolds' Rift

Iver set up a simple altar in his bedroom and stepped onto it.

The altar had three tiers, formed by three concentric rings.

At the four corners of the outermost ring lay five rubies, five amber stones, five pieces of Blue Crystal, and five emeralds, symbolizing fire, earth, water, and wind.

In the middle ring, between earth and water, lay a piece of ice, signifying "cold"; between wind and fire lay a flame essence, meaning "heat"; between water and wind lay a pearl, signifying "humidity"; and between earth and fire lay a piece of Yellow Earth, meaning "dryness."

At the very center was a perfectly round topaz.

It symbolized balance.

When the altar was complete, the power of balance began to flow within it. Four-colored radiance like sunset glow ebbed and flowed, and visible anomalies spilled throughout the room.

Only when Iver climbed the altar one tier at a time did his presence briefly disrupt the power of balance.

"—I beseech the Hourglass, god of the Sacred Number Five!"

With every step Iver took, he called out loudly.

"God of Severing Heaven and Earth, god of harmonizing all things—

"Hourglass of Balance!"

When Iver stepped onto the highest tier of the altar and called out the Hourglass's holy name—

Truly powerful balancing force instantly drowned Lily and Selene, who were watching from the side—

Lily immediately held her breath.

She clearly felt all the power in her body sealed by a vast, invisible, colorless force.

It was a completely different experience from the forced sealing of the Path of Authority.

It was not as if a sturdy lock had been fastened, nails driven in, or an order issued forbidding her from doing something...

...It was "perfect neutralization."

For example, if she could control flames, then an equal amount of cold